One Change of Fate
by LydeaBlaze
Summary: Sonic and his friends met in Knothole, but what if the event that brought them together never happened. If the course of events in the Great War's final days changed, with the Coup D'état failing badly & King Acorn staying on the throne, what are their lives when school is their only mission and the report is the playground tattle-tales? What would become of Eggman's own daughter?


One Change of Fate

_I was watching some good ol' SatAM, you know, the thing that was what the comics continued before the reboot totally ruined all that. Anyway, taking inspiration from the two-part episode of where Sonic and Sally wanted to stop the coup as well as just a general curiosity spawned from spending a whole weekend in bed sick with probably more than just a cold._

_Anyway, what if things were different to original as there could be so many possibilities. What if Eggman and the notorious coup d'état from the SatAM-Archie Sonic ended up failing epically? What would become everyone who had his or her lives affected in one way or another by the Great War and by the Coup's aftermath? How would the Freedom Fighters and their families live in a normal life growing up in Mobotropolis? What would become of Eggman's daughter Katherine, as her father would be in jail for treason and her mother (still) deceased?_

_It seems a little ironic that I am learning about World War 1, and writing about the Great War, think about it. _

_Read and find out what happens in this altered timeline and leave out some reviews._

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><p>Chapter 1: Conflict in the Capitol<p>

_January 16, 1997, 1:19am, Throne Room of Castle Acorn, Mobotropolis, Mobius_

_'__To His Grace King Maximillian of the House of Acorn, Ruler of the Kingdom of Acorn and Lord Protector of the Mobian Realms_

_Bonjour,_

_I write to you not as the ambassador that represents the Parisian Nobility State in the kingdom, but rather on my own personal accord. I am a family man, my lord, who above anything else shall protect his family from anything that will threaten them. My dearest cousin standing before you, Lady Juliette came to me in her hour of need this day that I write this letter. She came to me in tears and with nothing more than a few things her sister was able to salvage for her. She and her husband were only at the embassy for a couple hours before my uncle stormed the place looking for her armed with a gun and yelling that "she is dead to him" and that she "has dishonoured the family greatly by conceiving her bastard baby". –I may have managed to get rid of him, but he was not going away in the sense that his presence will not cease._

_I beseech of you to give my cousin and her family refuge within the Kingdom of Acorn. I have spared no expense in making sure that they get here and get here safely because nowhere in the whole of the Overland shall she be safe from my powerful uncle as words alone cannot describe what he shall do if he will ever find my sweet cousin and her husband and their baby. I know that my cousin-in-law is the former imperial prince of the despised Bridgen Empire, but he has assured and proven to me that he is not what everyone thinks of him as he loves Julie like anything else and I do trust that he will protect my cousin and his child she carries._

_It is with a heavy heart that I had to send my cousin away. It is with all my hope that she will be able to find refuge within a realm at war and no safer than the Nobility State at this time, but it will be much safer there than over here. Corruption and the right amount of money can have someone turn a blind eye away from killing their own child just because she did something "wrong" in his eyes._

_Sincerely Yours,_

_Lord Alexandar Causins_

_Ambassador of the Parisian Nobility State to the Kingdom of Acorn"_

The king looks down on the page of paper with much shock, alarm and with great concern for the pair with reading every word on the page, his hand over his mouth for the most part in reaction. He looks up to the young couple with wonder and after all he has read from the young woman's cousin, it comes with a sense of wonder for how in the name of Aurora that they managed to get here alive and in one piece.

"This is a... shocking revelation." The king speaks, folding up the letter and putting it aside, "I could never see a father threaten to do such a thing to his daughter and unborn grandchild of all people."

The young woman, Juliette, steps forward, "My lord, my father has not been a caring father to me and my sister our whole lives. My father forced me into gymnastics all those years ago and the medals are not what I have to show for it but the many blisters on my hands. My sister suffers fervour more than I do as the power ring energy they had stolen from your kingdom ended up making a terrible accident which made my sister not Overlander, but Mobian as if it was payback to my father for all he has done. He locks her away in her room, as if it is of great shame that his oldest child is a hedgehog because the war has left a bad impression, not just on the Overland's side either as few too many have been giving us dirty looks since we arrived. Am I not wrong to seek a better life than the one I had already, especially for what persecution I am threatened with because I chose love over having to rotate on uneven bars again."

"You are not wrong in your plight for freedom." Max says with a shake of his head, "Everyone has the right to choose their path, a given right here in our kingdom that doesn't exactly happen over in the Parisian Nobility State, yes?"

"Not from my experience, no." She replies

"So, what's the verdict then?" Ivo interjects impatiently, stepping forward to confront the king despite the guards stepping forward ready to fire at will if he takes another move, "Because one way or another we are not going back to the Overland."

"I can see that, that is why I've made up my mind already." The king replies before snapping his fingers, much to the bewilderment of the Overlander couple standing before him as the guards step down as he comes to approach them and then outstretches his hand, "Welcome to the Kingdom of Acorn, just give me a couple days for formal edict, but for now you are granted refuge in this kingdom. You will be safe here, you have my word as the Lord Protector of the Mobian Realms."

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><p><em>May 8<em>_th__, 1997, 5:23pm, Residence of Lord Ivo, Mobotropolis, Mobius_

"Julie? Julie!"

Ivo shoulder barges down the door, opening it with a crash as he rushes into the house and the aftermath comes as an unwelcome sight. Furniture is overturned, vases shattered on the floor and walls full of bullet holes, raising the intense concern he has for her safety even more as he frantically begins searching the house. Opening and closing doors, coming across dead bodies of the perpetrators her calls of help were about lying there with bullet holes and their blood pouring out onto the carpet.

"Julie!" Ivo shouts again

He dashes back around the corner before nearly skidding out on the lino, crashing into the wall before looking to see droplets of blood on the floor and leading up the stairs. He runs up the stairs following this trail before seeing a dead perpetrator lying there and one of the household guns lying down the hall followed by more droplets of blood. He rushes down the hall to where it leads, panting frantically as if he is going to lose his breath before coming to the door to the nursery. He tries to get it open before hearing the squeals of an infant, their two-week-old daughter Katherine and frantically tries to open the door, barging the locked door inward. He runs forward as Julie lies on the floor in front of the crib, the phone in her hand, her hand over a gunshot wound on her waist, and she breathes frantically.

"Ivo..." She breathes, mustering enough strength to face him, "They..."

"Oh my sweet wife, what have they done to you?" Ivo says as he runs to her side, kneeling down to scoop her up into his arms, "Julie, don't die, please..."

"They... They came to..." She mutters, slowly raising her hand to touch her husband's face, "Kate is unharmed, but... I..."

"Don't say it! You're going to be fine..." Ivo says, taking off his jacket and placing it over the wound, "Charles! Aleena! Julie... look at me you're going to be fine."

The two hedgehogs run upstairs rapidly and arrive at the door to see the sight before them. If it wasn't enough that the damage downstairs was bad, or the phone call made it worse, it's seeing this carnage in front of them that is utterly shocking.

"Aleena, call for help." Charles says to his sister in law, before coming in and kneeling beside Ivo and examining the damage to the young woman who continues to bleed out, "Keep pressure on the wound... that's all I can say you should do until the help get here."

"Charles... Take Katherine to the Palace where she will be safe, I do not want her seeing any of this nor anything else if more decides to come." Ivo orders abruptly, before turning his attention back to his wife who is beginning to cry and taking her hand, "Julie, it's going to be okay, I promise... You'll go to the hospital and they'll fix you up and we'll all be a happy family, I promise."

"Ivo, I'm scared..." Juliette cries, as her pain is getting worse as she firmly squeezes his hand

Charles gets up and makes his way around the room and quickly grabs a few things and places them in a bag and gets out the baby capsule. He approaches the cot as the newborn continues to cry, her face a bright shade of red and coughing between every ear-piercing shriek of terror. The hedgehog picks up the infant who may have gotten louder as a stranger is holding her, but it will be much better they get her out of here after what has happened this afternoon. He places her in the capsule before taking her downstairs and heads outside, where he passes his sister in law again who is still on the phone with emergency services, as per requirement.

"Charles, what are you doing with the baby?" Aleena enquires

"Ivo and I both agree that this little one here is not safe here of all places, I'll drop her off to Maximillian. The Palace is the safest place within the whole of Mobius so she'll be right there." Charles replies, opening the car door and strapping the capsule into the same hook-ups they use whenever she borrows the car and takes Manic with her, "He has a two year old and would have a five year old if he didn't send him away, the least he can do is mind an infant for a couple hours, tops."

"Alright, whatever you say... I just..." Aleena says, a little more than just uneasy as she fumbles over her words, "Just don't be too long, okay..."

Charles gets into the car and takes off with speed, all the while the emergency services arrive with the police pulling up first with an ambulance tailing them as if it was a royal escort. The paramedic's enter the house, the lady telling them that the injured party is in the nursery while the police begin to question her. Upstairs, Ivo sees the flashing lights within the dullness of the fading sunset before looking to Juliette as her hand loosens grip on his.

"Julie?" Ivo mutters, "Julie?!"

The paramedics then enter and he feels pushed out of the way as they begin to do whatever they can to Juliette. They quickly manage her onto one of the boards with a neck brace on and a while multitude of things being connected to her body. He tries to go near especially as they take her downstairs and manage to put her onto the gurney, but he is being forced out of the way by the authorities investigating. Within this hurried pace, they load Juliette into the ambulance and take off with sirens blaring. Ivo stands in the driveway and sinks to his knees. He hears footsteps on the gravel beside him and Lady Aleena stands beside him, her hand on his shoulder with the same expression of shock and distress on her face.

-+4-

Time goes by slowly as they wait in the waiting room of the hospital. Most of the Inner Circle in the city has come as support for the War Minister as they have all known Juliette in one way or another. Her charm, friendliness and giving heart touched all their hearts even if some may have known her from a brief encounter at one of the social events or known her since the day she arrived. Ivo sits off in the corner clutching Julie's pendant along with a rosary of the Ferian faith. –Ivo himself has never been a religious man, but as his wife is among the minority of Overlanders who worship the otherworld's deity ancestor of the Calibre family, he may as well try for her sake.

They all assembled one by one over the hours, and yet no one has been able to get through to the man as he sits over in the corner by himself. They have tried comforting and offering their sincere hopes, but he would give the same response to them all, a sigh and silence. –Even Max was not able to get an answer out of him, and he is the one who is minding the little girl of this young family. He tried handing over the little one, but he was still was not treated to a response and the man just closed his eyes, not wanting to look at the child his and his wife's, even if her cries suggest she wants her father.

"Oh here she goes again! Hey, where's the fire kiddo?" Aleena grumbles as the baby begins to cry again, picking her up and raising her high enough the smell the diaper, "Well she hasn't soiled her pretty little self."

"Give her here." Max growls as he takes the child from her arms, rolling his eyes as of all people here Aleena should know what _any_ baby could want, "Go and make her a bottle, she's about due for another one since Rosie gave her one earlier."

Aleena gets out things to make a bottle with from the same bag of things that Charles had rushed to pack when they had gotten her out of that house of death and anarchy. Max looks at the baby with curiosity, as despite all the differences, they are almost the same as a Mobian baby, their routine comprising of the same eat-sleep-poop routine. She is an interesting baby other than just being of the other race, especially being born as a Mobian-born Overlander and the first in known history to be a born citizen of the Kingdom of Acorn. She is a sweet thing with her wisps of blonde hair and eyes leaning toward being green in colour, as eye colour are not permanent until they are a year old. They reckon she will be beautiful when she grows up, think she is going to be like her mother more than her father because of how little she is and how she resembles more of Julie.

Aleena returns with a bottle of formula and hands it to Max, he places the teat of the bottle in the little girl's mouth, and she eagerly begins to drink it. He looks to his second in command with a pleased, gloating smirk of 'I win' and Aleena responds with a roll of her eyes and her arms crossed in defeat. Turns out a recently widowed mother of three still has much to learn when it comes to babies, what with having a recent addition of her own that is only going on three months old.

A doctor comes out of the doors and everyone turns their attention toward him, some turning their heads while others rising out of their chairs. Max hands Aleena baby Katherine as her father, Ivo makes his first movements in hours as he gets up and rushes over to the doctor, who has a grim look on his face.

"How is she?" Ivo asks with much urgency in his voice, "Is she going to pull through?"

The doctor looks away and breathes a sigh, "I'm so sorry... Your wife was stable when she arrived, but her condition deteriorated and... She has died, my lord. I am deeply sorry."

Ivo takes a step back in shock, turning away and looking to the pieces of jewellery he holds in his hands that belong to her as tears begin to form in his eyes. The others present are in the same deep shock as some place their hands over their mouths and others stand there with sadness and empathy.

"Ivo..." Max says, the first of anyone else to say anything

Ivo looks up before walking forward and punching the king hard in the face, knocking him into a coffee table and then to the ground as he marches off in anger and sorrow. The people jump up in reaction with some rushing over to help him up and others wanting to pursue the man who had practically committed treason just then.

"Stop it I'm fine..." Max sharply says, while everyone begins to make a fuss

"What should we do with him, my lord?" Commander Amadeus Prowler enquires as he monitors the ruffian who punched the king

"Nothing, just... Enough all of you!" Max shouts loudly, everyone around him recoiling a little and all else in the room coming to a pause as he picks himself up off the ground, "We do nothing about him commander, we leave him be... I deserved that anyway because an oath I swore to that young woman now in the mercy of the Goddess has been broken and I darn as well deserve any punishment for letting a tragedy like this happen!"

Max looks toward the young infant daughter of the couple now torn apart because of tragedy with sadness, taking a seat beside Aleena to examine the little girl closely as she had fallen asleep part way through her bottle.

He takes the little girl's tiny little hand with his own as a few tears begin to come up looking at a baby who is now without her mother, "I'm so sorry… I have failed your mother and for that, I deserve a punch in the face by your father as what is a king when he cannot keep his word? Tell you now, not a very good one. ..I swear that I will not let you meet that same fate. I swear that in your mother's memory you shall live a long, happy life here in the refuge that I promised... No matter what happens, you will be safe..."

_"__By Aurora and even by Cathryn Calibre the First I do so swear..."_

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><p><em>October 11, 1997, 11:00am, Throne Room of Castle Acorn, Mobotropolis, Mobius<em>

_"__Good morning Mobius, this is June Smith at the RABC with some breaking news from the office of the War Minister in Castle Acorn. The Kingdom of Acorn has won the Great War. The Great War has been won by the Kingdom of Acorn!"_

Celebrations happen up and down the streets of Mobotropolis as the victory day has come; the day they were wishing for has come. It was last night when the Overlanders conceded defeat, King Maximillian in combat with his counterpart on the other side of the war all the while the Royal Military drove their armies into retreat as luck was on their side to end the war last night and once and for all after two long years of combat.

At the palace, the officials and press alike wait in the Throne Room for their king to give a speech that he promised to give since five this morning. The throne room is christened in the kingdom's colours and with a banner hanging at the head of the room between two poles adorned with the flag of the kingdom and of the emblem of the House of Acorn with the words "Victory is Ours!" in golden letters. Everyone is talking amongst himself or herself, whether it be the nobles and invited guests on one side of the room or the news reporters talking to the cameras on the other side which are these sides are divided by a isle from the entrance to the throne at the head of the room.

Outside a couple of doors, the only thing separating them from the crowd, Aleena stands there peeking out while waiting for her boss to show himself, and she grows impatient with the passing minutes as he is cutting it close in terms of being punctual. She closes the door as she hears footsteps down the stairs and Max finally decides to join her.

"What took you so long? Happiest day in the kingdom's history and the king takes forever just to get ready to address his people." Aleena snaps sharply, not really impressed for a king who won the duel and got the enemy to sign their surrender

"I just had to get this baby all fancy to make it official." Max replies, holding up a scroll he had tucked under his arm, "Besides, this is the document that ended the war; it may as well look its best."

"Of course, I bet you put more attention into it than _your_ appearance." The purple hedgehog bluntly replies, before straightening his crown as if he is a child, "Now come on, we can't keep them waiting on a day like this."

The King knocks on the doors, as a signal to the guards on the other side ready to open it that it is time. On the other side fanfare plays and the palace's Chief of Staff takes a place at the podium...

_"__Presenting our king, who led us into this kingdom's victory over the Overland, King Maximillian of the House of Acorn. Accompanying him with him our gracious Lady who has maintained hope in the kingdom in the dark times that has now passed, the Lady of Acorn, Lady Aleena of the House of Pericade."_

Entering the room to a warm reception from the guests and press alike, waving as the cameras chattering and popping their flashes to try and get a good shot of their king and the woman known as the 'People's Lady' wave their hands and approach the podium. Taking places, everything begins to settle down and people quiet down and cameras zoom in on the king as he is about to speak.

Max clears his throat, "Invited guests, members of the press gallery, people of the Kingdom of Acorn, it is with a privilege that I, King Maximillian of the House of Acorn, can say that today the peace has returned to the kingdom once again. And it is with great honour I can say that our kingdom has won the Great War and it is with this decree, we make it official."

The king hands his second in command the gold boarded scroll and she unravels it, revealing the Declaration of Surrender and Treaty of Mobius, the edict that has been signed by both parties that last night brought the war to its end. Everyone applauds and cameras take shots of the fancy page of paper that pretty much as sealed this kingdom into a positive future to come.

The king continues, "This victory wouldn't have been possible; this day never would have been possible if it wasn't for the people of this kingdom coming together in those dark times and either fighting, some making their sacrifice, or doing what they can on the home front. As whatever the case, it all had led to this day. At the next Founder's Day, there will be awards to our commanders and heroes alike, but today I am going to break tradition as to award the Medal of Honour today to the man who made this victory possible. In our kingdom's darkest hour, we had this young man come into our lives 10 months ago and since forth helped to end the war quicker than we expected. Let us give an appreciative round of applause as the Lady of Acorn and I present War Minister Ivo Robotnik the Medal of Honour for his part in making this day possible."

Aleena picks up a gilded golden box as the doors open at the back of the room and the cheering and clapping begins. Ivo enters the room amongst the applause and makes his way up to the head of the room; he kneels before the king while retraining a smile on his face. Max retrieves a golden medal inscribed with the seal of the Acorn and the recipient's name on it and he places it around the neck of the recipient. Ivo then rises and stands by the kingdom's leaders as the press go nuts with wanting a shot of this moment in history.

_"__Tonight, we shall have a celebration here at the palace in honour of our recipient here and we shall have a grand celebration celebrating this day once everything gets back to normal."_

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><p><em>October 25, 1997, 4:28pm, Castle Acorn, Mobotropolis, Mobius<em>

Members of the royal military bring in boxes to the castle and take out ones full with computers, books and up maps poking out the top of the box. Max never thought he would see the day that the war would end. where Even now, while watching the view from his study window of the boxes going in to leave and never return it comes with a surprise that it is all over and has been for two weeks now. It felt like an impossible dream ten months ago as the advance was coming to his doorstep with every endless day that passed. Figures on the war room maps never staying in the same spot twice as the Overland's army was always were moving either forward or pushed back, especially from the two cities of the capitol and the Seaside City of Cealia. –And with the Overland's movements came movements of their own as always in the scheme of things.

Max heads downstairs, weaving in between the many people in the corridors and the many boxes that are waiting to leave with whatever truck will take them on the near millionth run they have done today. He heads into what were the War Room, which only a couple weeks ago a place where people operated computers near constantly, talked on phones nonstop and full of the screens that would flicker with pictures that would mean a thousand words. Only a few computers remain as people are pulling them apart and putting them in boxes, the control towers with keyboards, mouses and monitors into the same box labelled with a number corresponding to what computer it was. -All the while, their memory uploaded to the central computer that Charles is handling running with the large monitor as the main screen.

The king suddenly feels something cling to his legs and he looks down as his two year old daughter, Sally, is there smiling up at him. She was born only a couple months before the war broke out, with no memory of a world before the war began and of the family members that she is missing because of it. Max feared that she would never see a world where there was peace, as that war seemed endless even if it was only over two years, but... Fate reveals all sorts of miracles before them.

"Hey you..." Max says, picking up his little girl, "What are you doing down here all by yourself, hm?"

"Oh there she is."

Max turns around as Aleena comes in, with her, her own brood of children who are not that much bigger or smaller than the little princess is. Aleena was left a widow because of the war, her husband Jules perishing in the line of combat in the name of serving king and country and protecting his wife and their three beautiful children, oldest daughter Sonia and their two sons, toddler Sonic and infant Manic, the latter born only a month before his father perished.

"Let me guess, Rosie had to step out?" Max asks, while approaching his second in command and her family

"She's been working hard, may as well let her have a little bit of entitled leave time for an afternoon." Aleena replies, before looking down to her two children who are running around her feet, playing chase, "Sonia, Sonic, cut that out. How about you go see your uncle?"

The two children then run off down to their uncle who gives his sister in law a not impressed face, she in return giving him a guilty smile before turning back to speak with her boss. Charles continues his work before his niece, Sonia, climbs up onto a stool beside him and taps on his shoulder.

"Uncle Chuck, what's all this?" Sonia asks, admiring all the shiny buttons in front of her, before turning back to her brother who is trying to get up with her, "No Sonic, stay on the floor!"

"Easy there, little lady Sonia. Don't be mean to your little brother." Charles sharply snaps at his niece, before picking up his young nephew and placing him on his sister's lap and making her hold him, "Now to answer your question there, Sonny-girl, this here is the main computer for the whole of the War Ministry which has been operating out of here during the last two years. All these buttons are just keys and commands... it's a massive computer really."

"It's a big computer?" The little pink hedgehog asks, while trying to keep her brother from touching anything and from falling off the stool

"Ah-huh, exactly, my dear niece, like your mother's computer but _way_ bigger." The uncle replies, while typing on the keyboard some commands, "I wouldn't want to see what a virus would do on this baby, I'll tell you that now, darling."

"What's a virus?" She asks again

Just about when her uncle is about to grace his niece with yet another answer to one of the many questions kids her age will ask, the computer suddenly pauses and an error message comes up. The professor is about to see what the matter is when alarms start to ring and the computer starts going out of control. The babies start crying loudly because of all the noise and the concerned commanders then rush down to stand by Charles' side, Aleena taking the little ones and trying to calm them down.

"What's going on?!" Max yells loudly, his voice barely heard over the noise of the blaring sirens and the screaming babies

"I don't know!" Charles answers as he frantically types on the keyboard and presses other buttons on the board in front of him, "The computer was interrupted and all of this just started and... I think someone is trying to hack the system!"

"That might explain the alarms, but who the hell would do this!" The king replies

The screen changes to that of all the files being moved off-server and Charles begins to try and stop the download. A repetition of 'no' comes from the hedgehog's mouth as he frantically tries to stop the operation from happening. Before suddenly, a video pops up and it all stops as it begins to play, and they are all shocked to see that the perpetrator is one of their own...

_"__Greetings, petty morons, it is I, your FORMER War Minister, Dr. Ivo Robotnik and from this day forth I denounce my post and my citizenship of the Kingdom of Acorn in favour of my new empire that will conquer all of Mobius! You see... You have failed your kingdom, Maximillian Acorn, you have failed your subjects and you have failed yourself. You are unfit to rule and even unfit to be a husband and father of those two children of yours. I hereby make my claim to the Acorn throne in effort to make this world better than the one you have left in the wake of this war's end. I hope you've written your will, Max... As you'll pay for what you have done!"_

"Everyone get out!"

They look to the top of the room and General D'Coulette is standing at the doors while people run past in panic... I think maybe more than just _them_ saw that clip just then as the nobles who have gathered for the celebratory ball tonight are fleeing down the hall with soldiers herding them.

"What is going on?!" Maximillian asks the commander as he picks up his daughter and holds her close to his chest

"Your majesty, we have to get you, your daughter and the House of Pericade out of the city immediately and to Knothole village." The general replies before there is an explosion in the background, everyone flinching to take cover even if it could be far away, "The city is under attack by an army of androids and a hell of an air fleet."

Aleena begins to hyperventilate as she clings to her two boys tightly. "Oh sweet goddess... We're going to die!"

"No we're not." Charles says, grapping handing his niece and holding her against his chest for security, "Come on, we better get the hell out of here while we can."

"Let's go!" Max orders with a wave of his arm before returning it to shield his daughter's head

The adults carrying the children run upstairs as the General leads them out with a squadron of soldiers covering them at any side or angle. They bring them outside, as everyone that was within the palace is loaded into armoured trucks waiting for them to take them to the only place that will be safe from all of this, the ancient Village of Knothole. Without a moment to lose, they have one of the armoured trucks pull up and they quickly load everyone in with a slight push and a shove.

Max stands at the doors as they are about to be closed, "General, protect the city and the people and find Ivo before he makes the biggest mistake of his life."

"I will sir; we are sending squads out as we speak to find him, to help the citizens and to fend off the android army." Armand replies with a salute

The doors are then closed and the general watches as the truck wastes no time in extracting the high command of the kingdom and their families, following in a convoy of other trucks with the same goal. Robots start to climb over and smash through the castle gates as people scramble to fit into the trucks they have to leave then and now.

The General takes a gun as a line of soldiers stand beside him, "Alright men... Defend the city in the name of our king!"

* * *

><p><em>October 25, 1997, 7:29pm, Residence of Lord Robotnik, Mobotropolis, Mobius<em>

"Search the residence for the traitor!"

The front doors are barged open as members of the Royal Military enter the house with weapons drawn. It all appears quiet as they pan out the entrance and the first floor; Commander Amadeus Prowler walks around as he leads his squad through the residence. It was couple of hours ago now, as the War Room was beginning to disassembled; the computers began to go haywire, systems being hacked and files downloaded to another computer somewhere within the city. A video began to play; it revealed that the one orchestrating this sudden cyber-attack was their War Minister, Lord Ivo Robotnik.

However, as the video began to play the computers began the least of their problems. Ivo made clear his intentions, his true colours as son of the maiden name toting Empress of the Bridgen Empire, came through and in a treasonous act, made his bid for the throne, proclaiming himself rightful Emperor of Mobius and proclaiming the Eggman Empire's creation. Not even as soon as that video was over, chaos began to ensue as robots on attack sent the city into anarchy with the people trying to flee for safety. As the robots began to storm the palace and surrounding areas, the royalty and nobility who were inside of the palace ahead of rejoicing a return of peace became priority for evacuation. The army had deployed by the king's orders before he had left the city, squads such as this one deployed to try to find the traitor who sends his minions rampaging through the city, capturing the people and destroying anything in their wake that the army is trying to put an end to.

"Team A, pan out and go search the downstairs area. Team B, split up and head to the basement and check if the bastard is hiding there." Amadeus orders as he heads back to the front entrance in a loop, "The rest of you, follow me upstairs."

"Shit, robots!"

As soon as one of the squad shouts that very sentence from another room, android minions spring to life from wherever they have been hiding and start charging toward them. Rounds fire in a frantic array to down them before the androids armed with blades of any description can attack and their sentry projectile weapon firing friends can down a soldier. The commander and the soldiers following him to check upstairs begin to open fire on androids coming from all directions. They come from around corners with sharp turns and barging through the doors in which they came and the soldiers rapidly fire at them to down them as they scramble up the stairs. However, going up stairs is not evading them as they meet more coming at or firing at them in a frantic attempt on downing the intruders. As the last robot in front of them is pumped full of lead and falls to the ground in a fit of electric malfunctioning, the search begins once an all clear comes through.

The commander approaches the last robot once it stops sparking and shoots it in the head, "Pan out and go and find that traitor. Stay alert for more of them and you two stick to me."

Soldiers head up hallways of the upper level of the house panning out and kicking down doors in search for the treasonous bastard who threatens the realm with his android army and claims of power. With orders to shoot down robotic minions in service to their treacherous master and more on the unlikely basis of anyone here being a flesh and blood Mobian or Overlander here to apprehend them on grounds of being an accomplice of treason against the king.

The commander with his two soldiers crouches at a corner as when peering around, a wall of robots guard a metal door that could be where the epicentre of the wannabe emperor's command is. Standing and taking position, they begin to pepper the crowd of droids with bullets as they come for the attack. Droids fall and some short-circuit in an array of artificial death; the walls behind them become full of holes in the simplicity of being completely through on them so they will not pop back up and attack from behind.

After the last droid left is a sparking mess of scrap metal, the solders take a side of the door and exchange nods with the commander. There is a keypad outside this secure door and once everyone is in position, Amadeus shatters the keypad, rapidly releasing the door a little away from closing and he throws the door open and enters with the two soldiers backing him before suddenly stopping. The room is not what they expected for a room that is behind a password-secure, bulletproof, metal door, as it is a nursery for a little girl decorated in pink and gold sitting in darkness.

"Alright, lads, it's just the nursery. Let's just head out and keep bloody looking for the bastard." The commander orders

As soon as the two soldier lackeys head out and when he is about to join them, Amadeus then hears the cries of an infant and turns around. Walking slowly into the darkness following the sound of an infant's wails, the torch panning back and forth with his rifle ready to fire at a moment's notice, checking for anything considered anything else a threat when there was a wall of androids outside. He then approaches the cot as inside sits the source of the noise, the traitor's six-month-old infant daughter is inside the crib crying her eyes out and terrified, her face is a bright red in distress.

Amadeus picks up the little Overlander baby and holds her in his arms, "Hey, who left you here? You are that bastard's little girl of his, aren't you? So much for being a father if he leaves his little girl in a room all by herself..."

A door into another room opens in a slow creak and the light turns on. The commander places the girl by his shoulder, picks up his rifle and aims it at the black and yellow robot entering the room. The android's hands shoot up into the air, dropping a plastic bottle full of formula on the ground as he does, but in the circumstances, not being shot is maybe a little more important than having to make another bottle.

"Don't shoot." The android says his hands staying in the air, "I mean no harm I swear, and I swear to Aurora that I won't harm you, but only as long as you don't harm Miss Kate."

"Who the hell are you then, tin can?" Amadeus then enquires while trying to balance the rifle while holding the crying infant against his shoulder, "I wouldn't think to hurt the girl but I will pump _you_ full of bullets like your friends out there if you don't explain yourself this instant."

"I am Shard, a sentient artificially intelligent android hedgehog built to be the girl's caretaker and companion." Shard replies rapidly, the sentient being a little uneasy because of what happened to his "friends" outside from how much gunfire there was, "I am not like the rest of the robots, I am not loyal to her father, I'll prove it if I have to. I will swear fealty to King Acorn; I will tell you where her father is. Anything, I have to do I will do it just as long as I don't get killed and no harm comes to her."

The commander raises a brow while giving the robot a cynical look, "Oh really? Prove it then. Tell me where that bastard is and _if_ we find him there and arrest him, you my robot friend will not end up as scrap metal."

"He is in the underground lab underneath the house and the access is a lift in the back shed." The robot replies promptly

"Alright... But I swear to uphold my end if you're lying." The commander retorts before picking up his walkie-talkie, "All units, head out to the back shed as apparently there is an access to an underground lab. Team A enter and go to where it takes you. Team B, surround the area for backup and be alert for that bastard."

The units of soldiers head outside in a hurry and all crowd around this small shed right at the back of the backyard. The team tasked with going inside kick down the shed door as behind a facade of tools and gardening equipment there is a caged lift. The unit enter and go underground with a rapid drop of the elevator while the unit outside point their rifles in wait of anything that may pop up in defence. Within moments of a loud crunch coming from the shed, a vast amount of gunshots from their rifles and hast amounts of explosions are heard echoing up the shaft as the second unit surrounding the area prepare themselves if they need to get down there somehow to assist their brothers-in-arms.

Amadeus makes his way out of the house as the combat continues now holding the baby in a more practical way all the while another pair with him has taken over his role on dealing with their android friend. Shard walks out with his hands in the air as rifles are against against the back of his head, right on the access hatch. Given orders to shoot when commanded if it is a false call, however with the gunfire around them suggests that that end may not come to the android being. It all comes to silence; the elevator turns on in a whirr with the gears turning as it ascends back to ground level. Soldiers anxiously hold their position as the elevator gets closer to arrival with many holding their breath in wait, even Shard emulates the feeling of holding his breath... as any moment now his fate could be decided.

They hear grumbling and a tasteless amount of swearing as heads of royal army soldiers appear before the elevator comes to a stop... Everyone breathes a gasp as the rebellious traitor is on his knees with chains around his hands and feet with rifles pointing at his person at every angle. Amadeus steps forward as everyone raises their arms, looking back and giving a signal for the two behind him to lower their arms as Shard's part of the bargain has been for filled.

"Lord Ivo Robotnik, in the name of the king, Maximillian of the House of Acorn, you are under arrest with high treason against his grace the king and the Kingdom of Acorn." Amadeus announces with a fierce look of anger, "May Aurora have mercy on your traitorous soul..."

The soldiers pick him up as they begin to lead him away. He struggles and tries to break free, "You bastards! You are all sons of whores the lot of you! Unhand my daughter this instant, you bastards! You call me the traitor... Your king has betrayed us all by not keeping his oath. He does not protect his people at all if he let an innocent woman die on his watch! She is dead because of his... idiocy! _Her_ mother's blood is his hands...! Tell that sorry son of a bitch that! It's on **all** of your hands, ALL OF THEM!"

The infant begins to wail loudly again with distress as her father is being dragged away to an awaiting armoured vehicle waiting outside screaming disjointed fragments of an argument loud enough that even the whole city can hear. The soldiers throw the traitor into the back of the vehicle and with a loud slam of the metal door, the yelling silences and with a change of gear and a motor's hum, the vehicle takes off in an awaiting convoy. Hearing the cries of his honour-bound charge, Shard tries to fix up the infant, manipulating the fox's hold on the little girl before a sharp glare makes the android back away with his hands raised in the air, getting the picture that it isn't the best time for trying anything.

The commander looks to the baby before breathing a stressed sigh, "One problem put to a stop... Now what in the name of Mobius am I going to do with you and your android confidant?"

* * *

><p><em>October 25, 1997, 11:12pm, Knothole Village, Mobius<em>

Time passes slowly here, tensions are high and the updates are few and far between from the city over the hours that have passed. Inside a heavily secure cabin within the royal family's village retreat, Max frantically paces back and forth riddled with anxiety and distress, but more promptly pacing with anticipation for the next update from the capitol. It was hours ago now that Max and half of the royal court present at the palace at the time had to be evacuated, smuggled out while the city came under anarchy from rampaging robots commanded by the traitor to seize the crown.

The king and his Lady of Acorn and the few that remains of their families have taken up a place within the King's Cottage in the middle of the ancient village. In the background of the king's fitful pacing, Charles is trying to put together a temporary set up of monitors with whatever the armed forces could get him so they can get a better feed from the city than just the infrequent and crackly telephone calls. Coming as enough proof that if the only line of communication is a landline phone, being bothered is far from happening, this form of communication has its merits, and its discredits.

Also inhabiting the same room, Aleena had picked her place of which to occupy while her brother-in-law works and while her boss fixatedly paces the room despite her repeated request to stop out of concern. She sits by the bed in an armchair she dragged over from over by the fireplace, her place with the children who by now are fast asleep within what little safety there is here. The lady's eldest child, Sonia, who is five years old, took it upon herself to protect her eldest younger brother while their mother holds their baby brother, Manic, in her arms. The eggplant hedgehog has her two-year-old brother under her arm and close to her, just in case anything happens. Next to them, the little Acorn Princess sleeps, her head angled funny and on a retaining wall of pillows to stop her from rolling off the bed. –The little one nearly being as fidgety as her father is tonight, as she has been rolling around pretty bad.

Aleena begins to nod off and she shakes her head to stay awake. She in her own way has to stay awake like the rest in the room, if not like another night as the Great War ended, but for the children. As much as Knothole is a refuge, a sanctuary that has stood a thousand years without anything threatening it, even here may not be safe from the regime that is terrorising the city.

"Aleena, go and get some sleep." Max says to the purple hedgehog

"Not while the kingdom is in jeopardy." Aleena replies, turning to face her boss with a serious look, "As Lady of Acorn and when the queen is absent or a non-ruling Queen Consort, my place is alongside the reigning monarch, especially to lead the kingdom through a crisis."

The king sighs, placing his hand against his forehead, "Yes, the same credo you give me every time there is an overnight crises... Aleena, this isn't the Great War."

"I know... But..." She retorts

"You may as well give up, Max. When my sister in law is animate, she is animate and won't let go." Charles interjects while putting the final pieces of the setup together, taking the side of his sister in law, "My brother, Aurora bless his soul, is a perfect case for this argument."

Maximillian throws his hands into the air in surrender, "Alright... I surrender. Just make sure that you're not going to fall asleep with that little one in your arms."

Max takes the sleeping green hedgehog from his mother's arms and he twinges a little, as expected for babies, and he places him within the makeshift bassinette made of a washing basket, lounge cushions and a couple towels sitting on the table. It is not much, but the kid seems to be fine with it as he just stays asleep. The squirrel then looks back over to his second in command and just as expected, she has fallen asleep. –A little of what he calls taking the power source away from the cranky machine that happens to be a little more than just 'moody' this time of the month.

A car pulls up outside, the headlights coming in through the window and it attracts their attention, reading themselves for the rebelling party's troops to enter, but on second glance, it is one of their trucks, with some of _their_ soldiers exiting it in a hurry.

"Your majesty!" Commander Prowler says as he and two others of the military enter the room, not forgetting to bow to the king who in return places his finger over his mouth and angling his head over to the sleeping members of their party

"We'll take this into the other room." Max whispers, before looking to Charles and exchanging nods for him to stay here with his sister in law and the children

Max leaves the room with the commander, closing the door lightly in hope not to disturb them, as it has been a long day. The king takes a seat at the setting in this other room, the commander seating at the other side, as the important message cannot wait for any longer. The news of the rebelling War Minister apprehended announced with some mixed feelings, Max breathing a sigh as Ivo had so much talent and yet a few slip-ups and he will spend the rest of his life in jail. Amadeus explains what happened after the high command left the city, describing dealing with the forefront of anarchy with no holding back, sharing how many casualties resulted from the afternoon and reporting on the damages, costly if anything since the failed overthrow has left the city in a state of crisis with some destruction.

"Sir... There is one more matter that we have to address." Amadeus says once he finishes speaking, before getting up out of his seat as the door is opens and an android with guns pointed at his head enters carrying an infant, "We found these two in the traitor's residence."

"Katherine…" The king mutters, approaching the android and taking the six-month-old from his arms, "Oh you're caught in a right mess for someone so young aren't you? It does not help that I ended up leaving you of all behind when I swore on your mother's dying day that you should live a long life and this happens… I am really bad with this, huh?"

"As I was saying, my lord, young Katherine and her android friend here were locked in the nursery. " The commander proceeds to continue, despite the monarch being slightly distracted by fawning over the infant, "This metallic caretaker was busy caring for the child while the father was hiding out, and with a slight deal we'd made, the android proceeded to tell us-"

"Yes, yes... Tell me the full story later. You caught the traitor, which all-and-all is brilliant work, I commend you on your efforts and as soon as I get back to the city and get shit under control, I will find a way to reward you and the rest of the commanders who handled this crisis." The King querulously interposes with a wave of his arm, "Right now we have something else of our concern..."

"Indeed, your majesty." The commander says, brushing aside not being able to explain the situation of the raid fully, "Android... Uphold your end of the bargain."

With a tap of the guns to his head, the android hedgehog proceeds to kneel down on one knee and place his hand over his heart, "I-I, Shard, swear my allegiance and loyalty t-t-to your grace the king and promise that I-I shall serve the House of Acorn to m-my fullest extent."

"Well, you're a peculiar metal mechanism aren't you?" Maximillian comments, proceeding to circle around the black, grey and gold metal hedgehog, the overlander infant proceeding to try to reach out to touch him, "So, what is your affiliation exactly with the child? She seems to like you..."

"I-I'm her companion, your majesty... H-He built me to protect Katherine, to care for her if something shall happen to him." Shard nervously stutters, trying to resist the urge to respond to Katherine's reaching out to him, "I mean no harm, your majesty... I-I'm not like any of the other androids, I'm a freethinking AI of my own and my duty is to protect Katherine with my life... I had to betray her father just because it would mean keeping her safe, I swear fealty in order to keep her safe, and I would do anything if it meant that she will be safe and if it means serving the realm in any way I can, I will do it."

"Don't be so nervous..." Max proceeds to say as he looks down at Katherine as she innocently lies against his chest, sucking on her fist, "It turns out we have the same goal... If you really care about Katherine and are genuinely loyal to her, prove it. As of this moment, she is a temporary ward of the House of Acorn and since Rosie already quite has her hands full, we will all need help in looking after this one here. If you are as loyal to her as you make out to be, then you'll have no problem in being her secondary caretaker."

"So... You're asking me to be her caretaker?" The android hedgehog enquires as he rises from the ground, trying to make sense of it all

"It's not asking. It's actually a royal demand according to your fealty swear to serve me, the king, in any manner of request." The king replies, before placing the little one into his arms, "Don't let me down... I've broken one promise already to this girl, if I do it again... I won't be the one copping the repercussions, are we clear?"

Shard nods frantically, "Crystal, sir. Crystal clear..."


End file.
